1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to collapsible portable furniture and, more specifically, to a folding indoor/outdoor footrest accessory adapted to fold and collapse in multiple directions for universal use with folding indoor/outdoor chairs.
2. Description of the Background
The portability and ease of storage of folding outdoor furniture makes its use popular in a wide variety of applications such as beaches, parks, camping and all manner of family picnics or outings.
A variety of outdoor furniture pieces such as foldable tables, stools chairs and the like are available in a variety of designs. Folding chairs are known in the prior art that include a chair support assembly that folds in more than one direction resulting in a compact form that may be stored in an elongated bag. Such designs, often constructed of aluminum poles and canvas seating are lightweight yet sturdy and therefore suitable for use in a variety of settings and easy to transport. However, such chairs often have an upright back and inflexible design that prevents the user from fully relaxing while seated. Such designs similarly often lack a footrest on which the user can rest his or her feet while seated, further limiting the comfort of the user.
Chair owners desiring a footrest for use with their bi-direction collapsible chair must carry with them a separate foot stool or the like and setup such a foot stool separately. The need to carry a separate footrest diminishes the portability and convenience of the chair. Alternately, the collapsible chair owner may discard his chair altogether and seek out a lounge type chair with an integral footrest. Such lounges are significantly larger and less portable than conventional chairs such that the user again suffers from diminished convenience from his chair and is further faced with additional clutter for having multiple chairs for use in varying situations.
Additionally, where such collapsible lounge chairs of the prior art are equipped with a footrest they have generally employed a footrest design utilizing one or more rigid support members operatively tied to and supported by the main chair body itself via tension straps or cables. Such straps or cables interfere with the users ability to easily get into or out of the chair as they must be minded and stepped over each time to avoid tripping.
Thus there exists a need in the art for a footrest adapted to be added to most any collapsible chair on the market and capable of folding in at least two directions so as to be integrated into the design of such chairs. Such a foot rest should integrally fold away when not in use and be stored together with the chair within the original form factor of the chair while adding little or no weight. There exists a further need in the art for a footrest that does not impede the ease and ability of the user in getting into or out of the chair and does not create tripping hazards or dangerous situations. Such a footrest would enhance the functionality of the existing chairs, increasing the users comfort and convenience while also increasing the value such chairs and diminishing clutter.
The aforesaid and other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in he art as a more detailed description is set forth herein.